Numbers 35:1-11

1 And the Lord spake these things to Moses, in the field places of Moab, above Jordan, against Jericho, (And the Lord spoke these things to Moses, on the plains of Moab, across the Jordan River, opposite Jericho,)
2 Command thou to the sons of Israel, that they give to the deacons, of their possessions, cities to dwell in, and the suburbs of those by compass, (Command thou to the Israelites, that they give to the Levites, out of their possessions, cities to live in, and the suburbs around them,)
3 that they dwell in the cities, and the suburbs be to beasts, and work beasts; (so that they can live in those cities, and that the suburbs can be for their beasts, and their work beasts;)
4 which suburbs shall be stretched forth from the walls of the cities withoutforth by compass, in the space of a thousand paces;
5 against the east coast shall be two thousand cubits, and against the south in like manner shall be two thousand cubits, and at the sea that beholdeth to the west shall be the same measure, and the north coast shall be ended by even term. And the cities shall be in the midst, and the suburbs withoutforth. (that is, the eastern border shall be two thousand cubits out from the city, and the southern border shall also be two thousand cubits out, and the western border shall be the same measure out, as shall be the northern border. And the cities shall be in the midst, and the suburbs shall be all around them.)
6 Forsooth of those cities which ye shall give to [the] deacons, six shall be separated into [the] helps of fugitives, either of fleeing men, that he that shedded blood, flee to those; (And of the cities which ye shall give to the Levites, six shall be set apart for fugitives, or for those who flee, so that anyone who sheddeth out blood, can flee to them;)
7 and besides these six cities, ye shall give to the deacons (ye shall give to the Levites), (an)other two and forty cities, that is, altogether eight and forty, with their suburbs.
8 And (of) those cities that shall be given (out) of the possession of the sons of Israel, more cities shall be taken away from them that have more, and fewer from them that have less; all the sons of Israel by themselves shall give by the measure of their heritage, cities to the deacons (each tribe of the Israelites shall give cities to the Levites, according to the size of their inheritance).
9 (And) The Lord said to Moses,
10 Speak thou to the sons of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, When ye have passed [over] Jordan (When we have crossed over the Jordan River), in[to] the land of Canaan,
11 deem ye which cities ought to be into the helps of fugitives which not willfully have shed blood. (decide ye which cities ought to be for the help of those who flee, who have not intentionally shed blood.)

Numbers 35:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NUMBERS 35

Though the tribe of Levi had no part in the division of the land, yet cities out of the several tribes are here ordered to be given them to dwell in, to the number of forty eight, Nu 35:1-8, six of which were to be cities of refuge, Nu 35:9-15, but not for wilful murderers, in whatsoever way they might kill a man, Nu 35:16-21, but for such who had killed a man unawares, Nu 35:22-24, and several rules are given relating to such persons, Nu 35:25-29, but no satisfaction was to be taken in case of murder, nor to excuse a person's return to his own house before the death of the high priest, who had fled to a city of refuge, that so the land might not be defiled, Nu 35:30-34.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.